PDQ Fresh Tenders to Host World T.E.A.M. Sports Fundraiser in Raleigh

By Richard Rhinehart

Raleigh, North Carolina, February 5, 2013 – An enterprising young woman’s desire to be of service to others has encouraged Raleigh’s PDQ Fresh Tenders restaurant to host a February 8 fundraiser for the national non-profit World T.E.A.M. Sports.

During the 4 to 9 p.m. fundraiser at the PDQ Fresh Tenders at the Sutton Square shopping center in Raleigh, the restaurant will donate ten percent of their sales to support World T.E.A.M. Sports, a 20-year-old organization that creates inclusive sporting events for disabled and able-bodied participants.

National Junior Honor Society member Ally Christopher is a 14-year-old 8th grade student who undertakes community service projects throughout the year. “We participate in many different community service projects as a group to help better the community,” explained the Wake Forest Franklin Academy Middle School student. “As a member of NJHS, we are required to have an individual service project. After months of searching for an organization that I felt strongly about, I was losing hope. Then, my dad came home and told me about the World T.E.A.M. Sports organization and I knew it was meant to be!”

Christopher’s father Daniel, a Colonel in the Marine Corps Reserve, is an avid runner and encouraged his daughter to run. “After about a year of running, I joined the school cross country team,” said Christopher. “The team environment was great and helped me to grow so much as a runner. This year during cross country season, I had the privilege to step up and help lead the rest of the team.”

Christopher reports that running is greatly beneficial to athletes. “My favorite thing about it was how positive and happy everyone always was. We were all out there, sometimes in sweltering heat, working hard to get become better runners and athletes. Sometimes, frankly, the running sucked. But no matter what, we all hung together and pushed one another. Now I am an avid runner and my health is very important to me.”

The February 8 fundraiser at PDQ Fresh Tenders is the result of a community outreach program from the store, which opened in Raleigh in December. Spotting an announcement on the store’s Facebook page, Christopher got in touch with them. “They offered to give us a night where we basically take over the restaurant and they would give us ten percent of their earnings from that evening,” Christopher said, noting she is thrilled to support World T.E.A.M. Sports. “I am so excited to be able to fund raise and spread the word about this awesome organization!”

The Florida-based PDQ Fresh Tenders is a growing fast casual chain that began in 2009. Launched by a co-founder of the Outback Steakhouse, the restaurant features chicken tenders and sandwiches, hand-tossed salads and hand-spun milkshakes. The chain has six restaurants in Florida and North Carolina, with three outlets scheduled to open in the coming months. The Raleigh store is located at 6305 Falls of the Neuse Road.
World T.E.A.M. Sports is a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit organization chartered in North Carolina and headquartered in Holbrook, New York. For more than 20 years, World T.E.A.M. Sports has organized athletic events for disabled and able bodied citizens – mountain climbing, white water rafting, biking, and more. Four things always happen at our events: (1) Disabled participants build self-confidence and physical fitness; (2) The disabled provide a role model for other disabled citizens, encouraging them to take up physical activities; (3) The disabled become a moving inspiration to other participants and to spectators when they see that disabled individuals can meet challenges beyond anyone’s imagination; and (4) The disabled and able-bodied participants learn to work as a team to overcome those challenges. World T.E.A.M. Sports changes lives through sports.